An Inspirational Story

Lecia Grossman was an organizational trainer in Minneapolis who had a deep passion to do something about homelessness. “Every time I saw someone on the street… I knew nobody was looking at them like a human being. That was 20 years of feeling this intense hurting.”

Although Lecia was not a theater artist, she gathered people together and partnered with St. Stephen’s Human services to create zAmya Theater, a forum where housed and homeless performers collaborate to tell and perform stories.

“I didn’t want to do something for homeless people; I wanted to do something with them,” Lecia explained. Through performances and dialogue, zAmya generates awareness and understanding of homelessness while raising the spirits of people affected by homelessness through performance art.

How did Lecia come up with a theater company as a way to transform her community? “If you ever start thinking about how you want to change the world, don’t forget to ask this one question: What would make it fun?”